


Seeking Solace

by Ipodsandstars



Series: 100 Themes Challenge [5]
Category: Marvel (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Incredible Hulk (2008), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Fluff and Angst, so proud of myself for this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-05
Updated: 2014-07-05
Packaged: 2018-02-07 13:31:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1900743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ipodsandstars/pseuds/Ipodsandstars
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>5th in the 100 Themes Challenge</p><p>He promised himself he would never get close to anyone ever again; he promised himself that he would always be alone for the safety of his friend. One woman manages to change that</p>
            </blockquote>





	Seeking Solace

**Author's Note:**

> I AM SO PROUD OF MYSELF FOR THIS ONE

**5\. Seeking Solace**  
 **Summary:**  He promised himself he would never get close to anyone ever again; he promised himself that he would always be alone for the safety of his friend. One woman manages to change that 

He hated General Ross. Hated him with an absolute passion, so much that he had got to the point where he didn’t care what the Other Guy did to him. The old, psychotic bastard never gave up chasing him – wanting to use the Other Guy for power, that’s all Ross was hell-bent on – the Other Guy in the wrong hands would be… Obliteration of everything and anything.  
 Bruce remembered each day vividly – a constant war between the two, an innocent man VS a mad army general. It seemed like a movie cliché but for Bruce it was all too real and to make matters worse, he’d fallen in love with said general’s daughter, Elizabeth ‘Betty’ Ross. He wanted to spend his life with her – wanted kids, the lot… Before the accident, he was going to propose to her and now he told himself he had to leave her for her own good and so he ran. Ran and never looked back, no matter how much it hurt to hear her scream his name.

 All he wanted now; all he knew he could have was solitude – a place to be alone where he could hide and not hurt anybody. Hide the monster away from the world. It took him five years to settle in a place where Ross had not found him yet, in Calcutta which is in India. It was the only place he could blend in where he could help the others in the poor, rural areas and still be alone and he told himself it was for the best.  
Yet every time he saw a child or a family walking down the street, it broke his heart into a million pieces which he just left lying there on the dirty floor. If only he had stayed, if thing’s hadn’t have fucked up so badly, he and Betty could have had a chance. He pictured a small boy around the age of six with her eyes, her smile and his ‘fluffy’ yet scruffy hair. He heard her voice calling out to him and had to shake his head, holding back the tears that desperately needed and wanted to fall. He vowed to move on, to be alone and live alone as Bruce told himself it was for the best… And still, he knew he had hurt her, hurt his precious Elizabeth by leaving her.

 He’d just, almost forgotten about Betty Ross when the events of the Battle of New York happened. Natasha, the not-so surprisingly sexy redhead Russian assassin had come for him and it had turned out SHIELD had been watching him all this time, constantly following his every move and Bruce had to wonder, was he really that easy to track? He wondered, but he didn’t ask. The crib in the house Natasha had cornered him in was still fresh in his mind.

“I don’t always get what I want.” He said as the memories came rushing back to him. It hurt him too much to even hear her name, let alone talk about her or think of her.

 After the battle of New York, he tried to run and hide again. Bruce always said he knew it was for the best, so he kept repeating the phrase in his head. He didn’t even plan on saying goodbye and he didn’t want to in the first place. He had forgotten about SHIELD, had forgotten that they track the most dangerous people on the planet – so to find Natasha with the whiny billionaire Tony Stark next to her, really wasn’t that all surprising.  Bruce spent a good half hour trying to explain to them why it was better that he left them and then he gave up after Natasha punched him in the face.  **Twice**. He knew there was no way they would listen.

 So he gave in. Gave in and moved to the tower with Tony, Natasha and the others but he made sure he kept well away from the others and Tony made an entire floor of the tower he dubbed ‘Avengers Tower’, Hulk-proof  and it was where Bruce went to be alone… but he never was alone, was he? Bruce kept to himself and became withdrawn, depressed and forgetful. Forgetting who he was while he was wrapped up in his work. He forgot the real Bruce Banner – only saw the monster.  
And so many people used that word.  _‘Monster’_ , it took Bruce back to the time where his father told him he was a monster, he got angry and… You know the story. You know what happened next. Now, he (being Bruce, not his dickhead of a father) realised he would never be free, never be alone and he wished that, that was the way things should and could be but he knew it would never be that way.  So when Darcy Paige Lewis walked into his life thanks to the asshole he called his best friend, his entire world came crashing down.

 Bruce promised himself he wouldn’t fall again, he wouldn’t let someone in again – scared that he would screw up again, scared he’d… Kill her. But the way he looked at her was so painfully sweet, everyone could see it. And so did the bad guys. They watch the Other Guy in the streets react Darcy – hesitant as she helps citizens; he becomes protective of her, carrying her back to the tower to personally make sure she gets there safely and it’s so sweet of him to do that but Bruce… Bruce pushes himself away, pushes Darcy away as he knows all to well what happened the last time something like this happened. He doesn’t want her to get hurt but his fears can clearly be seen in his eyes… Those wide, cautious and caring eyes of his. But the bad guys hurt her and it was because of him.  
 Darcy is having none of the bullshit and confronts him – the two of them are alone on the Other Guy’s private floor and she’s standing there, telling him how much the both of them – even the Other Guy, means to her and how much of an absolute arsehole he is being.  She says how much she loves the both of them and the tears are clearly falling down her cheeks. Darcy knows it’s hard for him and she understands his fears but she knew how much trouble she was getting herself into when SHIELD sent her here, to them and she wants to help.

  Bruce stares at her and for once, he is speechless and yet he wants to tell her to go away, to leave him alone now he’d put her in danger and hurt by the bad guys, but he doesn’t say a word. The scientist just stares at her, awestruck. He reaches out for her, reaches forward with a angry, evil-like smirk on his face like the Other Guy was taking over again, but it was all Bruce, no green guy.  The smirk dominated his tired, worn out face and he looks at her darkly and with a low voice, grabbing her wrists he makes sure she gets the message about how dangerous he really is and why she really should stay away from him, just like everyone else does.  
 “You don’t get it Darcy, you have no idea what it’s like to be a monster – to be hunted down and used like a tool. I’m a ticking time bomb. How long before I hurt the others, how long before I hurt you?” his voice falters at the last word he says and Darcy can see the pain in his eyes. “Don’t you see, Darce? I can’t let you in… I can’t and I won’t. I won’t hurt you. It’s too dangerous to be around me, it’s too dangerous… I’m dangerous.”

Bruce goes silent and the once strong, sexy scientist is now a shaking mess who is close to tears. Darcy cups his face gently with her hands.

“Hey.” She whispered softly “You don’t have to go through this alone Robert, I won’t let you. You don’t need to be alone anymore.”  
 He crumbles, glad that he’d finally given in and let his frustration out but he hated himself for taking it out on Darcy. He lets Darcy take care of him and he sits there on the floor in her arms, wondering if he really could be with her forever.  
Wondering if he really didn’t have to be alone anymore


End file.
